Fraternizing with the Flashy Fran Drescher

We know her, we love her and we cannot get enough of her. That’s right, we are talking about Fran Drescher, most famous for her iconic role of Fran Fine in the hit sitcom The Nanny. An ordinary girl from Queens with a “unique” voice, Drescher lives a life full of vivid stories and humorous characters. 

Constantly determined to change negatives into positives, Drescher is a uterine cancer survivor and outspoken advocate for women’s health. Seven years after her immediate radical hysterectomy to treat the disease, she launched the Cancer Schmancer Movement, a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that all women’s cancers be diagnosed while in Stage 1, the most curable stage. Drescher’s advocacy led her to serving as a Public Diplomacy Envoy for Women’s Health Issues for the U.S. State Department. 

Additionally, Drescher is a hardcore supporter of LGBTQ rights and even became an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church Monastery so she could legally officiate LGBTQ wedding ceremonies. She officiated three gay weddings in New York City while promoting her show Happily Divorced.

OUT FRONT had the pleasure of sitting down and schmoozing with the world’s favorite nanny. 

Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me, Fran. I grew up watching The Nanny, and it is truly an honor to talk with you.
Aw, how sweet. Thank you! I am very proud of that show and it’s the gift that keeps on giving. I think it’s something that will be with me and synonymous with me for all my days. 

I’ve heard several rumors about a possible reboot. Where are we with that?
You know, we can’t really do a reboot right now. Peter and I are too busy and involved with another big project. I think once that is moving on its feet, we can shift into this. The timing must be right. It’s not the type of show where you can pick up where you left off because they got married and had kids, so it would be more of a where are they now 20 years later sort of thing. I don’t know, we’ll have to see. It is such a classic television series that I almost hesitate to try and do a sequel, but I am not closed off to it. It’s just not the right time. I know people are always excited about the possibility of it, and then I thought maybe someday we can do the series over again with a new nanny and tweak it. I would play the mom. If it happens, I’d imagine it won’t happen for at least another two years.

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I also heard that if there is a reboot, you would like to bring Cardi B on board?
That is a possibility. I would like to work with her, and I think she is very talented. I was thinking she could be the next Ms. Fine; you know what I’m saying?

What kind of impact do you think The Nanny has made on audiences?
I think it has made a significant impact. Everybody gets the relationships; everyone likes the underdog that wins. It’s kind of like The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady and Mary Poppins all rolled into one. I think the global message of the show is what makes everybody feel good. It doesn’t really matter what you look or sound like, it’s what’s in your heart that counts. 

Are you still close with your cast mates?
Yes! Many of us got together in April for Renee Taylor’s opening night of My Life on a Diet here in Beverly Hills. I see and speak to Renee and Charlie regularly. Lauren Lane just came back to town. She was in Texas for many years teaching and raising a child. I think she now wants to get back into television. I see Daniel Davis usually when he’s performing because he mostly lives in New York and does a lot of theatre, so if he’s in a play and I’m in town, I will definitely go see him. I talk to the kids here and there, but I probably see them the least. They’re all doing well, and they are such great people. As a writer and producer of the show, I have very close ties with these people. We all know we are part of something very special and it paved the way for only positive things to follow. 

Have you always had a passion for entertaining?
I think when I was in middle school, I kind of broke down all the things I thought I was good at. Acting didn’t feel like one of them. So, I decided to let God take control of my career, and you know, it worked out. Everything I enjoyed doing, I ended up doing anyway. Being a writer and author, being involved in politics and philanthropy, directing, producing. I need a lot of diversity to stay content. I don’t think I could just do one thing and be happy. Even as an actor starring in The Nanny, I don’t think it would have fulfilled me if I wasn’t also a writer, producer, and creator of the show. 

You made your Broadway debut a couple years ago as the Stepmother in Cinderella. Would you like to pursue more Broadway roles?
I would definitely entertain the idea if it’s the right role. I’m not excited about picking up on a role that someone else launched. I would rather originate a part. I don’t think I need to do a musical, I’m not really a singer and it is physically extremely challenging. So, it depends. I love it and I love the community and I love the experience. It is completely all engaging with no wiggle room. You must be completely focused on what you are doing and stay healthy and stay in tip top shape. You must have stamina to do eight shows a week, but there is nothing like it. I would relish the opportunity if it was the right circumstance.  I am also working on doing more stand-up comedy.

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Yes! That was going to be my next question. Tell us more about your stand-up.
In March, I was featured on Showtime’s Funny Women of a Certain Age where I did 10 minutes of my act, and in August, I was booked for P-Town. Peter has been gracious enough to join me and do a one-on-one conversation after I do my stand up and interview me, then I open it up to a Q&A with the audience. It’s fun and nice when you can write your own routine. I have been getting into watching other people’s stand up specials on Netflix and such. It’s interesting that there are people who run a tight show and others who are more loose and sloppier, but you laugh. I like the ones like Ellen DeGeneres that have a tight, well-produced act. Women comedians today are taking on their own POV and no longer trying to be like men. I want to talk about things that are meaningful too. I think that is important and a lot of women comics are speaking out into areas that are meaningful. 

Fran, you have talked in the past about possibly running for political office. Is that still on the table for you?
You know, I’m not sure. I think with the fact that social media can be so influential to many people, and we have learned what a single tweet can do, I don’t think I need to climb down Jacob’s ladder. It’s polarizing and distressful. I already had cancer; I don’t need another one. I would rather speak on behalf of special interests that are special interests to me. When you are a servant of the people, there are a lot of things I am sure these politicians could care less about, but you spend time taking care of all your constituents, or at least you hope they do.

Unfortunately, the more things that come out, the more we realize how self-serving politicians really are. People will lie to your face just for the sake of winning when they know they are bullshitting you. That’s what it is now. I’m lucky because I mostly talk about health issues, and there is nobody up on Capitol Hill, whether they be extreme right, extreme left, or somewhere in the center, that hasn’t been touched by cancer. I can open a conversation with these people who I have zero in common with because I have that in common with them.

It’s not like I never think about it. I do. I just think I have more freedom to be an influencer outside than within the system. Regardless, I will speak about the issues that are important to me and call people out on their bullshit. 

Speaking of cancer, you are the founder and president of the Cancer Schmancer Movement. How has that been going?
This was a very big year for us because in April, we released online a half hour education program called “Be the Change,” starring Jamie Foxx, Jeff Bridges, and myself that targets the tween, teen and college age demographic. We were hoping to garner a great deal of support from people with a large social media presence to encourage their followers to click on the teaser trailer. This is the first generation predicted to not live as long as their parents in U.S. history, and we at Cancer Schmancer do not wish to make that a self-fulfilling prophecy. So, hopefully this is going to wake them up and shake them up.

What kind of legacy do you hope that Fran Drescher leaves?
Being a good person, being authentic, making people laugh, but also taking my celebrity and making a deal about something meaningful. Turning my pain into purpose, try to practice Buddhist philosophy and keep getting better at it.